


For Whom the Bell Tolls

by Cocoaba



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst and Feels, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, FFXV, Gladnis Week2k17, Happy kissing at the end, M/M, Mild Gore, Nightmares, Premonition, Responsibility, dark story, poor ignis, weird and creepy foreshadowing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 05:29:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12928494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cocoaba/pseuds/Cocoaba
Summary: The second night was when the nightmare started. When fatigue succumbed him, and his vision faded to darkness. He would awake in His Majesty's throne room. It was in utter disarray. The pillars laid in ruin, the beautiful marble staircase cracked beyond repair. Ignis' chest tightened, and that pang of guilt followed. He'd known the treaty was a ruse, no surprise about that. But what else could have been done? His duty was bound to Noctis and he wouldn't dare disobey the foundation made for him. Once that thought left his body, multiple apparitions crystallized into existence. Surrounding him. Ignis was struck with trepidation, their were thirteen of him. Each of them representing a fallen King. Their words ranges in unison."Sharp sword, that aids thou King of Kings, heed our warning... Thou Welkin daylight will suffer at the hands of the Starscourge... Abdication shall soon stalk. You, Sword of the King, will be granted one chance. An oblation. Guide the King through the darkness, this is a task only for one, only for you."{or: Days before they are to set sails to Altissa, Gladio departs without explaintion. Ignis starts to have a eerie nightmare of whats to come.}





	For Whom the Bell Tolls

_"Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee"  
-John Donne_

 

After the daunting task of engaging the Empire to retrieve the Regalia, Ignis, was thank that everyone made it out unharmed. Though he suspected that Gladiolus' ego took a blow with that dreadful encounter with Ravus. But once they'd arrive to Cape Caem, some alone time could remedy that sore.

At least that's what he thought.

As it would turn out, theirs apparently no rest for the wicked.

The king's boat that was to take them to Altissa, was missing it's key ingredients- a mythril. Thank the Astrals that Talcott was forever so insightful for his young age. He'd given them a head start on where to search- Northen Vesperpool. 

Everything from that point on was fine until Gladio, at the last minute annouced his departure from the trio. Ignis felt blindsided, worried, and anxious all at once. 'To where? Whatever for? Why was I not informed first?' The barbigerous man gave no hindesight, through facial expression or body language. That he would even suggest something so bloody foolish.

After Noctis granted Gladio his permission, Ignis pulled him aside, just barely keeping his wits.

"Gladio, a word please?" He said curtly.

"What's up Iggy?"

"Are you not going to explain to me where this is coming from?"

"Look, it's... it's just complicated, alright? We can talk more 'bout it when I get back." Gladio brushed his hand through his hair, it was a tick the shield said he inherited from his father. It usually meant he was Anxious, embarrassed, or overwhelmed. Whatever was bothering him, Ignis decided not to press the issue if it upset him so.

"And when will that be?"

Gladio shrugged, "Don't know." 

 

Ignis didn't even realize it at first, but it would be the first time in about six months, from starting this journey that he hadn't gone to bed without Gladio in the vicinity.

The first night at the Vesperpool's camp hadn't been too bad. Ignis had been exhausted from the driving and fighting. Noctis and Prompto were a little more ambitious and reckless without the Shield keeping them in check. So Ignis ended up using more curatives on them than necessary.

The second night was when the nightmare started. When fatigue succumbed him, and his vision faded to darkness. He would awake in His Majesty's throne room. It was in utter disarray. The pillars laid in ruin, the beautiful marble staircase cracked beyond repair. Ignis' chest tightened, and that pang of guilt followed. He'd known the treaty was a ruse, no surprise about that. But what else could have been done? His duty was bound to Noctis and he wouldn't dare disobey the foundation made for him. Once that thought left his body, multiple apparitions crystallized into existence. Surrounding him. Ignis was struck with trepidation, their were thirteen of him. Each of them representing a fallen King. Their words ranges in unison.

_"Sharp sword, that aids thou King of Kings, heed our warning... Thou Welkin daylight will suffer at the hands of the Starscourge... Abdication shall soon stalk. You, Sword of the King, will be granted one chance. An oblation. Guide the King through the darkness, this is a task only for one, only for you."_

The marble tile rumbled, cracks followed seconds after and Ignis fell threw the floor. Leaving the old Kings of Lucis looking down on him, as he ascended into the darkness. As he fell, vision of Lady Lunafreya masked his vision. She carried a look of matured determination, frightfully sorrowful. Leviathan behind her, shooting up from the grounds, enraged, screaming. Titan's roar shook him to the core. Noctis had forged a covenant, did he not? Why were two of the Gods angered? None of this made sense. What was the warning? What needed to be done to aid his Prince? No... His king. A figure swayed mystically by him, Ardyn. The vile devil. Every time the Serpent twisted his tongue, a squalid voice spoke. though the man tried to mask it behind his flamboyant politeness. The man who dubbed himself 'A man of no consequence' apparently boasted many.

In rapid succession, Noctic, his King, obscured his darkness and stopped his freefall. Everything shifted to blue. He stood tall, he stood proud. Ignis watched as his family fought without him, not needing to be relied upon. But Ignis was his sword, just as Gladio was his shield. It never mattered if this was a dream or hallucination. He needed to be with him. By his side, forever... And always. As he went to take the step, something- rather someone- grabbed his arm, halting his movements. It was... himself. This Ignis looked worn; hair matted and dirty, clothes wrinkled and shredded, glasses gone only leaving behind blazing emerald orbs. The grip tightened as Ignis tried to free himself.

"Let me go!"

He did have the hindsight to think the other would obey, thus he fell forward on the ground of nothingness. When he turned back from catching himself, Worn Ignis stalked. 

"In order to guide the King of Light, an oblation must be made in return." 

That wasn't his voice, or if it was, it had been heavily distorted. Ignis yelled back, "What needs to be done?!"

He was rewarded with three horrendous options. The first laid bare before him, a small whisper of 'no' left him. It was Prompto, or rather what was left of him. Prompto's legs were gone, the stumps bloody and bandaged yet he smiled on anyway, desperately trying to hide the pain. Prompto was always the one that carried them to happiness. Always trying to see thing on the brighter side, even now his smile was sickening infectious. Ignis smiled weakly as he caressed blonde's tears away.

When the another figure appeared before him, he'd hope it was himself again, but it would never amass to who he saw next. Gladiolus. His leveler, his lover. Ignis unable to hold back the choked sob; his arms were gone. Gladio's. Arms. Were. Gone. How would he lift the King to his goal when his right couldn't attack with a sword and his left couldn't protect with a shield. What made it worse was Gladio refused to look at him, the rank smell of being a failure percolated from his body. 

"Darling, my love, please look at me." When Gladiolus continued ignored his plea, Ignis sobbed. 

He prayed that this wasn't what the Old Kings had in mind. Gladio, nor Prompto, could handle this type of sacrifice. A hand clasped his shoulder and the two fallen heroes vanished. It was Worn Ignis, all of his limb were intact and despite a few scrapes and bruises he was fine. The only odd thing was one of his eyes (the left to be exact) was closed, though it had no scarring and his other simply lacked the burning passion it welled moments before. "What was the third option?" He asked aloud, but when Worn Ignis went to speak, everything faded to black.

 

That dream haunted Ignis every night until Gladiolus returned, and no matter how much Ignis willed his mind, he couldn't remember what Worn Ignis told him.

 

After returning from acquiring the mythril and reuniting with battled scarred, yet triumphant Gladio. They once again arrived at Cape Caem.

He knew that Gladio had been trying to speak to him alone, but he couldn't face him. Not yet. So he was thankful when Iris saw her brother's freshly obtained scars and ordered an explanation.

Ignis took his opening, making a swift escape to the lighthouse. Smelling the saltwater calmed his thoughts. Were his dream truly nightmares or were they foreshadowing? 

During their hunt for the boat part, Prompto had missed a jump and injured his knee. He tried to hide the pain, but Ignis knew. When they'd made it back to camp, without a word Ignis silently mended the wound.

Then Gladio returned with more scars than he left with, Ignis had been furious at first. He could have been killed! Yet, somehow his anger transformed to admiration. He was proud of his buffoon. Gladiolus wanted to better himself for his King and Ignis couldn't nor wouldn't fault him for that. It's just the damned dreams made everything so bloody difficult to manage. 

He was so absorbed in his thoughts, that he nearly jumped when two familiar hands snaked around his waist.

"There you are." Ignis could hear the smile in his baritone voice.

"Here I am indeed."

"You still mad?"

"No, darling, no. But you should know that if you would have just explained to me why you needed to leave in the first place I never would have been mad to begin with."

"I know, I know. I was just so fuckin' embarrassed. M'suppose to be protectin' you guys and the one time I do my job, I get my ass handed to me. I needed to better myself, for you, but most importantly for Noct." Gladio placed a kiss to Ignis' temple. "I missed you, s'hard sleepin' without you and the kids", he chuckled.

"Hmmm...I couldn't agree more." Ignis wanted to say more, but was there a need? After a brief moment of silence, Ignis found himself swaying along with his lover comfortably, who was intent on smooching up the side of his face. "We set sail for Altissa soon."

"You ready?"

Ready? The word ranged among Ignis' eardrums. Was he ready to face what laid ahead? No, he wasn't, but his feelings didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. He had a duty and he would see it through till the end.

"To be truthful, yes and no. We don't know the dangers that lurk ahead." Turning his body so that he was now facing Gladio, he continued. "Gladiolus...if something were to happen to me-", he'd been cut off with a kiss on the lips and Ignis melted. He pushed back vigorously, practically handing over his worries on a silver platter for his lover to taste. When they pulled away, Gladio smile fondly.

"Ain't nothin' gonna happen Iggy. We're gonna meet up with Luna, then our 'princess' will tame the Watery Goddess. As long as I'm Noct's Shield, nothing will happen."

"Well, we can only hope you're right."


End file.
